Looking for help from those wiser and further down this path... I’m 46 and have been losing hair for the last 2 years. At the same time my cycle has gone from a regular 31 days down to an average of 23 (varies between 17 days and 28 days). I’ve had tests for various things, all fine except ferritin which was 15. After 6 months of ferrous fumarate, it’s now 70 (I know it should be about 100).
In the last 3 months, the hair loss has increased dramatically. Think handfuls coming out in the shower! I had very thick hair but now it’s thin all over the top of my head, scalp showing all over with a noticeable bald patch near the crown. And today my period started and I realised I’d missed one last month - the first one I’ve missed, so perhaps related to the accelerated hair loss?
I’ve tried Rogaine 5% for 5 months and Plantur 39 shampoo with no effect. Now back on the Rogaine and trying Viviscal along with the ferrous fumarate.
It’s really getting me down - I don’t want to go bald! - and I could use some advice on my options. I asked about oral minoxidil and my GP has referred me to Dermatology but the wait is ages. What else can I do? I could find a private Derm appointment, but would they know about perimenopause-related issues? Should I be asking about HRT - would that counter the hair loss (supposing it’s even available!!). Should I just accept the inevitable and look at wigs?
Sorry this is long - I know that it’s not a big thing in the whole health scheme of things but it makes me feel shit (think nightmares about clumps falling out, and bald patches growing!).